Medical Marijuana Activists Fear For Their Industry in Washington State

By
Ana Sofia Knauf, Puget Sound Business Journal
on October 10, 2013

After clearing an early pathway for marijuana legalization, medical cannabis activists are afraid their businesses could be swept under as Initiative 502 forces them to comply with new regulations designed with the recreational market in mind.

The Seattle City Council voted Monday to require medical and recreational marijuana businesses to apply for a marijuana license under I-502 regulations, which legalized recreational cannabis. The rule would place medical and recreational cannabis programs in the same channel, requiring them to obtain the same license, said Alison Holcomb, attorney for the state’s American Civil Liberties Union and author of I-502.

“The government is trying to control medical marijuana and load (those businesses) onto the Titanic that is 502 (licensing) and set it asail,” said Steve Sarich, leader of the Cannabis Action Coalition. “That would eliminate medical and I-502 in one fell swoop.”